EXECUTIVE ORDER MJF 97-38

Interstate 49 South Project Task Force

WHEREAS: U.S. Highway 90 (hereafter "U.S. 90") is
one of the state of Louisiana's major links to the Gulf of
Mexico, and a main corridor for access to oil and gas
operations in the central gulf's outer continental shelf,
petrochemical industries along the Mississippi River, and
waterborne freight en route to the central United States;

WHEREAS: over 36 percent of the population of the
State of Louisiana resides in the vicinity of U.S. 90 between
Interstate 10 (hereafter "I-10") in Lafayette and the Westbank
Expressway in New Orleans; as a consequence, the four-laned
highway is the primary hurricane evacuation route for South
Louisiana;

WHEREAS: it is a priority for the State of Louisiana to
prepare for the twenty-first century by promoting economic
growth and development through the provisions of a
transportation system adequate to support new economic
activity with its increase in traffic volume, encourage
international and domestic commerce, promote tourism, and
improve public safety; and

WHEREAS: the interests of the citizens of the State of
Louisiana would be best served by the creation of a task force
to analyze the feasibility of upgrading U.S. 90 into an
interstate and evaluate the impact it would have on the general
populace of the state, particularly those living in South
Louisiana;

NOW THEREFORE I, M.J. "MIKE" FOSTER, JR.,
Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority
vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana,
do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1: The Interstate 49 South Project Task Force
(hereafter "task force") is established within the Executive
Department, Office of the Governor.

SECTION 2: The primary duty of the task force shall be
to submit to the Governor, by April 1, 1998, a comprehensive
report which includes research, analyses, and
recommendations addressing the following nonexclusive list
of issues:

A. the feasibility of upgrading into an interstate all or a
part of U.S. 90 between the Westbank Expressway in New
Orleans and I-10 in Lafayette (hereafter "I-49 South Project")
for the creation of an Interstate 49 South;

B. the availability and/or viability of sources of funding
for the I-49 South Project, including innovative financing
alternatives; and

C. the documented level of support for the I-49 South
Project by:

1. the citizens of the State of Louisiana living in the
various geographical sections of the State of Louisiana;

2. the Metropolitan Planning Organizations in the
areas surrounding U.S. 90 between I-10 in Lafayette and the
Westbank Expressway in New Orleans; and

3. the members of the Louisiana Legislature.

SECTION 3: The secondary duty of the task force shall be
to prepare documentation, suitable for submission to the
members of the State of Louisiana's United States
Congressional Delegation, which documents the reasons for
the United States Congress to designate U.S. 90, between the
Westbank Expressway in New Orleans and I-10 in Lafayette,
as an interstate route through South Louisiana.

SECTION 4: The task force shall be composed of at least
20 members appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the
Governor. The membership of the task force shall be selected
as follows:

A. the chief of staff, Office of the Governor, or the chief
of staff's designee;

B. the secretary of the Department of Transportation and
Development, or the secretary's designee;

C. the chair of the Transportation, Highways, and Public
Works Committee, Louisiana House of Representatives, or the
chair's designee;

D. the chair of the Transportation, Highways, and Public
Works Committee, Louisiana Senate, or the chair's designee;

E. the federal highway administrator for the State of
Louisiana, or the federal highway administrator's designee;

F. representatives from communities located along the
span of U.S. 90 between the Westbank Expressway in New
Orleans and I-10 in Lafayette;

G. representatives of businesses in South Louisiana;

H. representatives of the Lafayette, Houma, and New
Orleans Metropolitan Planning Organizations; and

I. an at-large member.

SECTION 5: The Governor shall appoint the chair from
the membership of the task force. All other officers shall be
elected by the task force.

SECTION 6: Support staff for the task force and facilities
for their meetings shall be provided by the Department of
Transportation and Development.

SECTION 7: Task force members shall not receive
compensation or a per diem from the Office of the Governor
or the Department of Transportation and Development.
Nonetheless, contingent upon the availability of funds, a
member who is not an elected official or an employee of the
federal government may receive reimbursement from the
Office of the Governor for actual travel expenses incurred, in
accordance with state guidelines and procedures, and upon the
approval of the commissioner of administration.

SECTION 8: All departments, commissions, boards,
agencies, and officers of the state, or any political subdivision
thereof, are authorized and directed to cooperate with the task
force in implementing the provisions of the Order.

SECTION 9: This Order is effective upon signature and
shall continue in effect until amended, modified, terminated,
or rescinded by the Governor, or terminated by operation of
law.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand officially
and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of
Louisiana, at the Capitol, in the City of Baton Rouge, on this
18th day of September, 1997.